Center-bearing for railway-cars.



E. s. woons. CENTER BEARING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

V .AIPLIOAIIQN FILED APR.24,1909. 1,01 6,595.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

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[Ml/OLSQHOOCA? r Z 4 E. S. WOODS. CENTER BEARING FOR RAILWAY CARS. APPLIOATION FILED APR.24,1909.

1,016,595, I Patented Feb.6,1912.

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E. S. WOODS. CENTER BEARING FOR RAILWAY CARS. APPLIOAT'ION FILED n11.24, 1909.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

EDWIN S. WOODS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CENTER-BEARING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed April 24, 1909. Serial No. 491,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. Wooos, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago,-in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center-Bearings for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in antifriction bearings of that kind designed to be interposed between two parts which have relative angular movement and arranged to transmit the load of one of the parts to the other in a manner to minimize friction between said parts upon the occasion of such relative angular movement. My improvements are herein shown as applied to a center bearing for railway cars and like uses, and certain of the improvements have been designed specially for such a bearing. Other features of the bearing are adaptable to other and more general uses.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide means for maintaining full bearing contact of the antifriction media with the bearing surfaces of the upper and lower bearing members, notwithstanding relative angular movement of the parts due to tipping of one member relatively to the other. This feature of my invention is embraced in a universally shiftable bearing member which is capable of movement on its support in all directions transversely to the axis of rotation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction having means for positively actuating, and means for confining in its required range of movement, said universally shiftable bearing member.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of inserting and retaining the antifriction media in that one of the bearing members which carries the same.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of antifriction medium arranged to enlarge the area of contact between the same and the bearing members, and which also tends to hold the antifriction medium in its radial or other operative position.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the description which follows, and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The antifriction media which I have herein illustrated have the form of the segment of a conical roller or rocker, they being cut away or flattened on their sides and tapered at their flattened sides toward their smaller inner ends to admit of close nesting of the antifriction media, in the general manner shown in my prior application for U. S. Letters Patent Serial No. 391,039. Certain of the features of my present invention are applicable to an antifriction element of this general type, while other features thereof may be employed in connection with antifriction media or elements of other forms, such as balls, oblate spheroids, posts and the like.

In the drawings-:Figure 1 is an axial section of the center bearing embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking upwardly, with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing one mode of inserting the antifriction media in the upper bearing member. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly. Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the antifriction elements or rockers, showing its relation to the bearing faces of the upper and lower members, said bearing faces being indicated by lines. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the antifriction element at one limit of its movement. Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating one form of key roller or rocker and the manner of inserting it in the upper bearing member, the latter being shown in an inverted position. Fig. 8 is a detail section illustrating another mode of inserting the rollers or rockers in place in the upper bearing member. Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a transverse section on the line 1010 of Fig. 9L Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one form of antifriction element which I may employ, it having the form of a rocker.

As shown in the drawings, 9 designates the upper bearing member, 10 the lower bearing member, 11 the support for the bearing member, and 12, 12 the antifriction media interposed between said bearing memits support 11 said hub is bers. with apertured lugs 13 and 14, respectively, by which the members are connected with the parts which carry the same, as the body and truck bolsters A and B, respectively, of a railway car. The bearing member 10 and constitute in effect a two-part bearing member, one part of which (the part 10). is adapted for universal shifting movement on the other part in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of said bearing members, for the purpose hereinafter described. The shiftable bearing member may be embraced in either the upper or lower part of the bearing. The upper bearing member 9 is formed with a central hub 15 which extends into a central opening of the lower bearing member and its support, and provided with a central passage to receive the usual king pin 15 The antifriction media 12 have the form of elongated tapered rockers or rollers having upper and lower tapered, transversely curved, surfaces for contact with the tapered bearingfaces 16 and 17, respectively, of the upper and lower bearing members. As herein shown, said rockers are flattened at their sides and are tapered on their flattened sides inwardly toward the inner or smaller ends thereof to admit of close nesting. They are arranged in circular order around the hub 15 and are adapted to rotate on axes which are radial to the axis of rotation of the bearing members.

As herein shown, the upper bearing member is formed on its lower side to provide a chamber 18 to partially receive the rockers, said rockers depending from said chamber for contact with the bearing face 17 of the lower bearing member. The form of rockers herein shown is provided with end bearings Y or trunnions 20, 20 which extend endwise from said rockers in overlapping relation with respect to horizontally arranged inner and outer circular flanges 22, 23, respectively, at the lower side of the chamber 18; the inner flange 22 being formed integral with and extending radially outwardly from the hub 15, and the outer flange 23 being formed integral with and extending radially inwardly from the lower margin of the annular wall 24 which surrounds the chamber 18. The said integral inner and outer flanges are 'made continuous or unbroken, as shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The flanges constitute means for confining the rockers in the chambered bearing member which carries them when the bearing member is separately handled before it is put into service, :and for confining and sustaining the rockers in said member when the. upper and lower bearing members are, for any reason, separated when in service, thus avoiding the rockers dropping out of place.

Said members 9and 11 are provided- The rockers or rollers 12 may be inserted into and assembled in the chambered hearing member in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3. To assemble said rockers as shown in said Fig. 3, the chambered bearing member (the upper bearing member as herein shown) is supported with the open side of the chamber facing upwardly, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7. The rockers are twisted o-r inclined at an angle to their normal radial positions to an extent which will permit the inner and outer ends to pass the inner and outer confining flanges 22 and 23, after which said rockers are brought to their radial positions with the end bearings or trunnions underlapping the said flanges. I have found in practice that all of the rockers, with the exception of the last one, may be thus readily assembled in the chambered bearing member. The last rocker to be inserted, which may be termed the key rocker, and which is designated in Fig. 3 by 12 may be cut away at one end to provide a clearance notch to permit it to be inserted into the chamber through the limited space left after all the other rockers have been assembled. When all but one of the rockers are assembled said assembled rockers are forced compactly together in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, so as to leave a space at one side of the chamber, which in extent equals the sum of all of the spaces normally existing between the rockers and the space which is occupied by the last or key rocker and this space is of such width that the key rocker 12 may be inserted into the chamber by twisting it at an angle to its normal radial position. The key rocker may be cut away at its inner end, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7, to provide a clearance notch 26 so that the inner end or the trunnion of the rocker may be inserted beneath the inner flange 22, a distance slightly beyond the normal position of said inner end of the trunnion, to permit the outer end or the trunnion of the rocker to freely pass the outer flange 23. It is apparent that the clearance notch may be located otherwise than as. above described and illustrated and may be otherwise formed. Another means of assembling the rockers in a chamber, thus formed, having continuous inner and outer rocker supporting and rocker confining flanges 22 and 23, is illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. In this instance a segment 27 is cut away from the horizontal wall of the chambered hearing member to provide, when said segment is removed, an opening of such length and width as to permit the rockers, when occupying radial positions, to be passed therethrough into the chamber. All but one of the rockers may be inserted into the chamber, at its open side, in the same manner as hereinbefore described, and the last or key rocker inserted through the opening provided by removing the segment 27. desired, however, all of the rockers may be inserted through said opening. The said segment 27 is tapered inwardly at its side margins so that it is narrower at its inner side than at its outer side, and fits at its tapered sides correspondingly tapered walls of the opening in the bearing member of which it constitutes a part, as shown in Fig. 10. The segment is therefore arrested with its inner face flush with the inner bearing face of the bearing member of which the segment constitutes a part. When the bearing member is attached to a car bolster or like part, the segment will fit flat against the adjacent face of the bolster or support and be thereby held from moving outwardly. In order to retain the segment in position while the bearing member is being handled and before it is installed, I may provide the segment at its ends or at its sides with notches or depressions 28, to receive holding lugs 29 which may be formed by upsetting or mashing the metal at the outer margins of the opening which receives said segment into said notches or depressions.

The construction and arrangement of the parts just described avoids the necessity of notching or interrupting the continuity of the inner or outer rocker confining and sustaining flanges, as has heretofore been done in constructions of this kind, and also avoids the necessity of providing means for closing or bridging the opening thus provided. The presence of such notches, arranged to permit the ends of the rockers to pass behind the flanges, has a tendency to catch upon the ends of the rockers and interfere with the free movement thereof, and the use of keys or bridging pieces to close said notches is objectionable because of the liabillty of such keys or bridging pieces becoming detached and allowing the rockers to become displaced or to drop out of position.

The chambered bearing member is provided at its outer wall 24 and at the upper side thereof with an inwardly facing, relatively narrow annular thrust shoulder 30 against which the larger outer ends of the rockers bear, and which may receive a portion of or all of the end thrust of said rockers due to engagement of their tapered bearing faces with the tapered bearing faces of said bearing members.

The end bearings or trunnions 20, 20 of the rockers are herein shown as arranged eccentrically to the axes of rotation of said rockers, or above said axes, and said trunnions are raised above the supporting and sustaining flanges when the rockers are engaged with the upper and lower bearing members. Such eccentric arrangement of the rocker trunnions has the effect to automatically bring the rockers to their normal support 11.

positions when the trunnions drop down 011 the confining and sustaining flanges.

An additional feature of my invention is embraced in the universally shiftable bearing member which is made separate from and is mounted or supported on, or by one or both of the bearing members, in a manner to be capable of radial or transverse shifting movement thereon in all directions so as to maintain the bearing faces 16 and 17 in proper relative position for full contact with the rollers or rockers, notwithstanding relative tipping movement of the upper and lower members. One or both of the members may comprise in part such universally shiftable member or part. As herein shown it embraces part of the lower member. The said lower bearing member is spherically rounded on its under side to engage the corresponding spherically rounded upper side of the support 11. In the present instance, the under side of said bearing member is concavely rounded while the engaging side of the support 11 is convexly rounded. This arrangement in a bearing member which is inclined for engagement with a tapered rocker gives to the bearing member the form of a relatively thin light plate, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The said universally movable bearing member 10 may be provided at its outer margin with a narrow thrust flange 35 arranged to engage the outer larger ends of the rockers at the lower sides thereof to receive the end thrust of the rockers. hen the upper bearing member is tipped downwardly, therefore, relatively to the lower bearing member, the rockers on the side of the bearing toward which said member is tipped are correspondingly shifted, and the engagement of the outer ends of said rockers with the thrust flanges 35 of the univer sal bearing member serve to positively shift said member to an extent to correspond with the changed position of the bearing face 16 of the upper member and thereby maintain the upper and lower bearing faces 16 and 17 in proper, relative position for full contact with the bearing faces of the rockers. If thelower member support 11 be tipped relatively to the upper member, it will slide on the bearing member 10 without changing the position of the latter, and therefore without changing the relative positions of the upper and lower bearing faces to each other and to the rockers.

In order to avoid tendency of the universally movable bearing member 10 to rotate about the axis of the hearing, I mayprovide the said member with a number of lugs 36 (Figs. 1 and 4) which extend downwardly therefrom for engagement with sockets 37 in the upper side of the lower bearing member Said sockets are of such radial diameter as to permit the required extent of lateral or transverse universal movement of the lower bearing member for the purpose set forth. The said sockets constitute also receptacles or pockets which may receive a lubricant by which to lubricate the engaging surfaces of the'bearing member and its supporting plate. The thrust flange 35 of the universally movable bearing member 10 may be provided with a plurality of clearance openings 39 through which dirt, water and other foreign matter collecting on the upper surface of said bearing member may escape therefrom.

It will be understood that the universally movable bearing member 10 may be applied to either the upper or the lower side of the device, or both, as found most convenient or desirable in each instance of its use, with the same effect to maintain the upper and lower bearing faces at all times in proper relative position for full contact with the rockers, and, furthermore, that it may be otherwise positively shifted upon occasion of relative tipping of the upper and lower bearing members.

I may provide the bearing faces of the antifriction elements 12 with one or more flattened or transversely enlarged contact surfaces, shaped to conform generally to the bearing faces of the upper and lower hearing members in order to increase the area of contact, and reduce wear between said antifriction elements, and also to assist in holding the antifriction elements in their proper radial positions. hen the bearing faces of the upper and lower bearing members are tapered or coned as herein shown, the flattened or enlarged surfaces will be slightly curved to correspond to the curvature of said upper and lower bearing faces. The

curvature of said flattened or tact surfaces will decrease as the upper and lower bearing faces approach the horizontal and will become zero when said upper and lower bearing faces are horizontal or parallel. lVhen the antifriction elements or media assume the form of elongated rockers or rollers the said transversely enlarged surfaces extend longitudinally thereof from end to end. As herein shown, each bearing face of each rocker has three of such transversely enlarged or flattened surfaces 41,- 42, 42 (Fig. 5), the former located at the trans verse center of the rocker bearing face, and the latter at the sides thereof. Between said flattened or enlarged surfaces or areas 41, 41 the bearing faces of the rockers are curved concentric with the axis of rotation, as shown at 43; The central flattened or enlarged surfaces 41 of the rockers engage the bearing faces of the upper and lower members at a time when said rockers are in their normal posit-ions, and the outer flattened or enlarged surfaces 42 engage said bearing faces of the members when the rockers occupy the extreme limits of their movement enlarged conat one or the other side of the normal position thereof, as indicated in Fig. 6.

The rockers herein shown are provided on their side faceswith longitudinal depressions 45, 45 which serve to lighten the rock ers, and also to save metal and reduce the cost of producing the rockers. The said tapered rocker may be made by a forging or swaging process from an elongated rectangular piece of metal whose cross-sectional dimension is but little greater than the cross sectional dimension of the smaller end of the tapered rocker, and the larger end of the rocker may be formed by displacing the metal of the outer end of said piece to form lateral depressions 45 and to enlarge the vertical dimensions of the outer end of the rocker. Said displacement of the metal will be greatest at the outer, larger end of the rocker and will gradually diminish toward the inner smaller end thereof. The depressions 45 are, therefore, deepest at the outer ends of the rockers and gradually decrease toward the inner ends of said rockers.

I claim as my invention 1. An antifriction bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members and interposed antifriction elements, one of the members being provided with integral, oppositely projecting, continuous or unbroken circular flanges adapted to confine the antifriction elements in said bearing member, and spaced at such distance apart as to permit the antifriction elements to be passed between the flanges and behind the same, when twisted at an angle to the normal radial position thereof, and one of said antifriction elements being provided with a clearance notch to permit it to be passed be tween the flanges after the other antifriction Elements are assembled in the bearing memer.

2. An antifriction center bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members, and a circular series of interposed antifriction elements, one of said members being provided with a chamber to partially receive said antifriction elements and provided also at the inner and outer sides of the chamber with continuous circularflanges arranged to confine the antifriction elements in said chamber, said inner and outer flanges being spaced at such distance apart, relatively to the length of the antifriction elements, as to permit the latter to be inserted between the flanges into said chamber when twisted at an angle to the normal radial position thereof, and one of said antifriction elements being provided with a clearance notch to permit it to be passed bet-ween the flanges after the other antifriction elements are assembled in the bearing member. 3. An antifriction bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members, and interposed antifriction elements, one of said members being provided at its inner and outer sides with flanges which extend toward each other for engagement with the ends of the antifriction elements to confine them in said member, said inner and outer flanges being spaced at such distances apart, relatively to the length of the antifriction elements, as to permit the latter to be inserted between the flanges and behind the same when twisted at an angle to the normal position thereof, and one of said antifriction elements being provided with a clearance notch to permit it to be passed between the flanges after the other antifriction elements are assembled in the bearing member.

4. An antifriction bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members, and an interposed series of annularly arranged antifriction elements adapted to rotate on an axis radial to the centers of the bearing members, and having flattened side faces which converge toward said centers of the bearing members, one of said bearing members being provided With inner and outer integral, continuous, circular flanges which engage the ends of the antifriction elements to confine them in said flanged member.

5. An antifriction center bearing comprising upper and lower, relatively rotative bearing members, and an interposed circular series of antifriction elements, the upper bearing member being provided with a hub which enters a central opening in the lower bearing member, and the lower bearing member comprising a bearing plate having a spherical under side and a support therefor having a complemental spherical upper side, whereby said plate is capable of universal lateral shifting movement on said support, and inner and outer continuous, integral circular confining flanges for the antifriction elements, the inner confining flange being formed on said hub.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of April A. D. 1909.

EDWIN S. WOODS. Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. HALL, GEORGE R. WILKINs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

